Srinagar: The BJP MLAs who thrashed Independent MLA Engineer Rashid over holding a beef party have warned him against carrying out such bashes in the future.
BJP MLAs said that when they came face-to-face with Rashid on Thursday morning in the assembly they questioned him about the beef party.
Rashid responded by saying that he would organise a thousand more such parties in Kashmir. One BJP MLA also claimed that Rashid specifically mentioned “cow beef party”.
Hearing such a statement, the BJP MLAs allegedly lost their cool and assaulted Rashid.
“What he did was a violation of Constitution of J&K. He said in the Assembly that he will hold 1000 more parties like this,” BJP MLA Ravinder Raina asserted.
Another BJP MLA added that Rashid had hurt the sentiments of Hindus, who are a minority in Jammu and Kashmir.
The MLAs later warned that Rashid would be thrashed all 1000 times if he went ahead and held 1000 beef parties.
The manhandling of the MLA, who had thrown a beef party at the MLA hostel on Wednesday, came on a day the Assembly is scheduled to take up a bill on the ban on the meat.
As BJP MLAs assaulted him, several NC and Congress MLAs rushed to save him.
The assault on the floor of the House triggered an angry reaction from the opposition with National Conference leader Omar Abdullah saying it was impossible to digest the incident.
“What happened today is impossible to digest. An honourable member being assaulted in the House. It seems that they wanted to murder him (Rashid). If he had done anything that was objectionable that should have been put on record,” the former Chief Minister said.
On the beef ban issue, Omar said, “Our sentiments are also attached to this issue. We don’t force our religion on you. My religion prohibits consumption of alcohol and pork…
Do I assault everyone who eats pork or alcohol,” he said, demanding that the Chief Minister make a statement on the issue.
Condemning the assault, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed said sentiments should be kept under check.
“I condemn this incident. The House has good tradition sentiments should be kept under control. I ask Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh to apologise for the misconduct of his party MLAs,” he said.
Singh on his part said, “We do not approve of what happened in the Assembly today. But what happened in the MLAs hostel yesterday was also wrong,” he said, referring to yesterday’s beef party.
The Deputy Chief Minister stopped short of apologising for the incident following which the entire opposition staged a walkout.
Rashid, the legislator from Langate, had yesterday hosted the beef party in the lawns of MLA hostel here, with the guests being served beef kebabs, ‘ristas’ (meat balls) and beef patties.